Sanghmitra Hitaishi: I am prepared, all ready to shoulder an entire project

Actor Sanghmitra Hitaishi considers herself lucky to have got a chance to live her mother’s dream.

“Coming from a small town my mom couldn’t be what she dreamt of. She wanted to take up singing, I think that’s what made her sent me to learn Bharatnatyam at Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai. There I got exposed to the world of creativity and artistry. So, in a way, I am into performing arts and trying to fulfil her dream,” says the Bombay Begums (2021) and Custody (2019)actor.

Hitaishi feels it’s time for her to take up roles on a much larger canvas. “I love playing complex characters as that what I used watch and connect with during my training days. I love art films and actors like Smita (Patil) ji have always inspired me. I felt these characters were telling stories that I want to tell and saying things I wanted to say but being an introvert, I couldn’t. After all these years of playing a range of roles, I feel I am prepared, all ready to shoulder an entire project. I want to proof my prowess as an actor who knows her game.”

Talking about her early days, she adds, “I reached Mumbai after my higher studies from Lucknow and Delhi. I realised very early that it was this city I want to set my roots in. I did an acting course and started acting for student’s films at FTII. That’s I got my first independent film, Lajwanti (2015) that did rounds at fests and opened a lot of doors for me.”

Having learnt the hard way, Hitaishi finds the unending nepotism debate totally one-sided. “The fact is that kids from the film fraternity always have a comfort to become actors. They maybe really good actors but you can’t take away the reality that they are all pre-packaged, prepared and have a team even before they start their careers. Here it takes years for casting directors to even know that we exist. These points should be considered when projects are rolled out.”

Hitaishi has a lot in store, “After lockdown, I shot for Out of Love. You can say I was working throughout pandemic. Next, I’ll be seen in a musical series that is set to stream in couple of months.

Besides, I have shot for a series with Sonakshi Sinha partially before pre-covid times and then we had to re-attend workshops as shoot was installed for good six-seven months. The series is set to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this month.”